Power station fund has given out thousands

Walkers in Sutton Bridge can now enjoy history on the hoof thanks to the village River Trail Group.

A new, lectern-style panel has been installed beside a footpath, on the East Bank near Cross Keys Bridge, with the help of a £1,700 cash injection from the power station fund.

The aim of the panel is to help villagers and tourists discover a little of the rich and fascinating history of the area and details some of the major players who laid the foundations for today’s landscape.

Tom Rowe, from the River Trail Group, said: “What we are trying to do is promote Sutton Bridge and make more people aware of its history, which is phenomenal.

“We are trying to big Sutton Bridge up.”

Historian Beryl Jackson said: “The panel shows the changes which have taken place over 400 years.

“Sir John Rennie and Thomas Telford completed a new outfall for the Nene in 1630. It was then possible to construct a bridge and the Cross Keys embankment for the long-awaited direct route from Norfolk into Lincolnshire to be achieved – this cut 26 miles off the former route taken by the Union Norwich to Newark coach, which crossed the bridges at Wiggenhall St Germans and Wisbech before accessing the Great North Road (A1).”

Mrs Jackson said Sutton Bridge River Trail Group is grateful to the power station fund for its grant and previous sums that made it possible to print thousands of leaflets recording the history of the village. Artwork for the panel was by Rosie Redzia Design.